Rating:  -
COAS doesn't demonstrate any of the key elements essential to a good character documentary: conveying the passion of the subjects documented; having an interesting story to tell; making the audience empathize with the people profiled; and educating viewers about something they previously didn't know or care about.
The film was particularly dispassionate, with the exception of the guy playing Superman. At least he was into his role, as evidenced by his travels to the Superman convention in Metropolis, IL, and a 40 Year Old Virgin-like apartment festooned with action figures and cartoon posters. All of the other characters use their superhero identities as means to an end, and are more or less panhandlers in costume. These guys are no more passionate about their costumes than are Hollywood waitresses or pizza delivery men about their uniforms- it's just a matter of whether or not the getups can bring in rent money while waiting for dreams of grandeur to materialize. For a lesson in contrasts, compare the superheroes' dedication to their labors to that of the nerds profiled in "Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control."
And no one was particularly likeable in COAS. Although his story is more interesting than the others, Superman's false claim to be the son of actress Sandy Dennis weakens his goofy charm. Batman is a pathological liar, wannabe tough guy, and garden-variety jerk. Wonder Woman is just young and clueless, and will surely strive to forget this time in her life when working some future office job. The Hulk seems like a decent guy who has successfully put his former homeless life behind him, but lacks the looks and talent to break through any Hollywood barriers to entry. [Not to mention he "performs" with a suffocating mask that won't get him noticed even if this was a proven track to attracting casting agents' attention.] Worst of all, the four superheroes profiled aren't even particularly unique- there's scores more of them along Hollywood boulevard, some of whose tales are doubtlessly more interesting than those told in COAS, and none of whom will ever find real acting work.
Rating:  -
There's something reminiscent of a Hubert Selby, Jr. novel about Matt Ogens' "Confessions of a Superhero." The four characters chronicled by the film all dream big, but the gap between their dreams and the reality of their lives is unbridgeable. At times, when they pause to look at their cluttered studio apartments or their broken relationships or their bizarre lifestyles, they seem to grasp this. But they quickly retreat from their encounters with reality to go on chasing the Great American Dream (or is it Great American Nightmare?) of celebrityhood.
"Confessions" focuses on four aspiring actors--or, more accurately, four Hollywood star wannabes--who land in Tinseltown in pursuit of their dreams only to wind up on the streets working the tourist trade as costume-clad superheroes. One of them, Superman is wacky, although in an almost endearing way. One of them, Batman, is a frightening character who has violent tendencies and seems to be a compulsive liar as well. One of them, the Hulk, is a charming young black man who lived on the streets for a while. And the last of them, Wonder Woman, is a naive kid from the south who ran off to Las Vegas to marry a guy she'd met two weeks earlier. The Hulk and Wonder Woman break your heart, Superman is a jaw-dropping eccentric, and Batman is just plain creepy. But all four of them attest to the downward spiral that the obsession with fame and fortune in an unforgiving culture of celebrity can bring. This spiral is even more poignant given that it leads the four to pose as superheroes, which is exactly what they're not in reality.
Ogen never mocks his subjects, and that's good. He doesn't make value judgments about their lives or the choices they've made. If anything, his film suggests that he's more sympathetic to them than not. But it's also clear from the film that he agrees with the conclusion the viewer is likely to come to: each of the four "superheroes" is living in denial. The unstated but obvious challenge Ogen leaves us with is to ask ourselves whether our own dreams are as self-serving, tawdry, and ultimately unrealistic, as those of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Hulk.
Rating:  -
It begins with an introduction by Morgan Spurlock who brilliantly sums up the point of the film. Remember when we were kids and wanted to be super heroes? What happens when, as a grown up, you wear a super hero costume to earn a living? Do you feel more powerful? Or does it highlight your failures? The film maker does an amazing job of documenting the lives of people who choose to dress up like superheroes. We meet Superman, Batman, The Incredible Hulk and Wonder Woman. They tend to see it as acting or attemtping to be even a tiny cog in the Hollywood industry. Others see it as a form of pan handling.
Chris Dennis, aka Superman, has become infamous in his own right and carries on the tragic story of people who become associated with Superman. He claims to be the son of oscar winning actress Sandy Dennis and obsessively collects Superman memorabilia. He tends to wear his Superman outfit all of the time. This man needs help but who is he really harming if it makes him happy and able to function? But you know you got problems when Margot Kidder calls you odd. This character is given the most screen time and his story is fascinating.
Batman is another interesting character. He has delusions of grandeur and anger issues. He likes to have a mysterious bad guy past. Wonder Woman is a southern transplant who yearned for brighter lights then those of her small town. She was Homecoming Queen and everything else and figured she could try to make it in Hollywood. This character seemed the most grounded if a little superficial. I cringed when I heard her talk about her marriage - any part of it! Lastly, there is the Hulk. Another southern transplant who even when he was homeless, never gave up on his dream of being in the movies. I liked this man and rooted for him every step of the way.
Matt Ogen did a brillant job of letting the actors/actress present themselves. I did not feel like the film was edited to obtain a particular slant. By the end of the film, the audience feels each actors desperate yearning for stardom. Apparently Hollywood is full of interesting characters and this documentary film presents an odd slice of it. Sit back and enjoy, I know I did.
Rating: -
This is a documentary that follows Maxwell Allen, Christopher Dennis, Jennifer Gerht and Joseph McQueen. These four people dress as the superheroes (in order of names) Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and the Incredible Hulk on Hollywood Boulevard, taking pics with the tourists. This is their career of choice as they see it as their best chance of making it to movies, which some have done in independent films.
The film explores what it's like being superheroes on the street, as they take tips for pictures. Some go about it more aggressively, even ending up getting arrested for "aggressive begging". The movie also goes into the personal lives of the four interviewed.
Christopher Dennis (a Christopher Reeve look-a-like) is the veteran street performer out of the four, having played Superman on the streets for years. It shows his home and his huge Superman collection. He says that he is the son of the late actress Sandy Dennis, but it is never truly proven whether that is fact or fiction. Sandy's relatives are interviewed in the movie, but they have no knowledge of Chris. It is still a possibility that he is in fact her son, because she was a private person, but in the end you just have to make your own decision. It doesn't really matter anyway, because Chris is a real nice guy and it shows the entire film.
Maxwell Allen (a George Clooney look-a-like) got into the "superhero" business by becoming friends with Christopher Dennis. He has an interesting story, which has a dark past. Whether you can believe most of what he says as fact is another thing that is up for questioning. The things that he says, even his wife doesn't 100% believe. Such as how he has killed a man who hurt his ex, but you won't find evidence because he was able to make a great cover up.
Joseph McQueen walks the streets as the Incredible Hulk. He has it worst of all since he is in foam, even blacking out while working due to the 106 degree heat. Jennifer Gerht is a beautiful woman that got into this so that she could be famous in Hollywood. This lifestyle seems to effect her most of all, even costing her a marriage by the end.
Call it pan handling. Call it street performing. Call it anything you want. By the end of the movie, you will love these people anyway. They are just normal people who have chosen this as a job and have succeeded in some ways at making their dream come true. "Confessions of a Superhero" never makes fun of these and that is part of the charm.
Rating:  -
Here's a fact any sane person would recognize: pulling on a pair of tights and prancing around Hollywood Boulevard for tip money doesn't make you a superhero. What the subjects of this documentary don't quite get, though, is that it doesn't really make you an actor, either. But then, nobody is ever going to accuse this film's Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman or Incredible Hulk of having a stranglehold on reality.
Which brings us to the subject of delusion - a central theme of "Confessions of a Superhero." It's not that this film's four main figures are completely in orbit. In fact, a couple of them seem pretty sane. A couple of them. Even the dream of becoming a movie star - as monumentally farfetched as it may be - is shared by enough of the population that it alone can't reasonably be called pathological. But, combine a lack of self-awareness with profoundly poor judgment about how to go about actually achieving stardom and what do you get? Well, a really angry guy in a Batman suit.
Angry Batman seems to be delusional about a lot of things. He wants to be an actor, but attributes his lack of success, in part, to looking 'too much like George Clooney.' He fancies himself a martial arts expert but seems confused following even the simplest instructions in kung-fu school. Oh, and he tells questionable tales of hits he's made as a muscle guy for the Mob. (This he spills to a shrink while wearing full, dimestore Batman garb.) By contrast, the Superman-fixated Christopher Dennis seems positively sunny. Sure, he goes around spinning yarns of illustrious parentage, and he does seem to confuse building Superman-themed dioramas out of cardboard with building an acting career. But what the hell? At least he's getting his face out there for people in the business to see! Not that the 'people in the business' spend much time on Hollywood Boulevard having their pictures taken with lanky guys in bad Superman outfits, but that's how this delusion thing works.
To be fair, the Batman and Superman we see here seem much more out of whack than the film's other principals. The guy in the Hulk suit seems like a sweet man...and he does manage to catch a very small break in the course of the film. And our Wonder Woman? Pretty, small-town gal goes to Hollywood, walks up and down the street in a skimpy outfit and takes money from strangers. Let's just say that, given those circumstances, pretending to be Wonder Woman is not the most demeaning thing she could be doing.
So, if the previous paragraphs haven't made it clear, "Confessions of a Superhero" can be a lot of fun. But the question that arises when watching such a film is this: should we feel a little unclean laughing at these people? After all, unlike the subjects of the sweeter and more deftly crafted "Trekkies," our fake Batman and Superman are not just overzealous fanboys with an amped-up hobby. They're desperate people with fairly sad little lives. While "Confessions" may not quite go for the jugular in making sport of its subjects, it doesn't exactly spare their feelings, either. It may be a funny movie for you and me, but I'd hardly guess that Angry Batman would share that opinion.
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